State Board opens 35-day public comment on rewrite of educator preparation code

On Jan. 9, 2025, the Alabama State Board of Education voted unanimously to announce its intent to repeal and replace Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 290-3-3, the board action that opens a 35-day public comment period on a comprehensive rewrite of the state's educator preparation regulations.

The move follows discussion at last month's work session and was presented to the board as a multi-page rewrite prepared by a committee of higher-education representatives and State Department staff. Dr. Mackey, a State Department official who reported to the board, said, “we now have a 35 day open comment period, that would come back before the board, possibly not at next month's meeting, but at the March meeting for a final adoption. It is a huge undertaking that is many pages long, and it's available if anybody would like to review it.”

Board members made the motion to announce the intent and approved it by unanimous voice vote. The board did not take final action on the rewritten chapter at the Jan. 9 meeting; Dr. Mackey repeated that the earliest possible final adoption would be the board's March meeting and that the draft is available for review during the public comment period. The department noted the rewrite effort has been attempted previously and that this draft reflects work by the department and a committee of higher-education stakeholders.

Next steps are the 35-day public comment window and a subsequent board agenda item for possible final adoption, timing dependent on the department's review of comments and scheduling of the board's meeting calendar.